Delaware Forest Service helps streetscape project take root in Georgetown

From left, Delaware Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator Kyle Hoyd joins Georgetown Towm Manager Eugene Dvornick and DFS urban forester Kesha Braunskill outside the town hall building along East Market Street, where 18 new trees were planted as part of a $37,000 streetscape improvement project.
From left, Delaware Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator Kyle Hoyd joins Georgetown Town Manager Eugene Dvornick and DFS urban forester Kesha Braunskill outside the town hall building along East Market Street, where 18 new trees were planted as part of a $37,000 streetscape improvement project.

The Delaware Forest Service (DFS) funded a downtown streetscape improvement and tree planting project in the Town of Georgetown, highlighted by this week’s planting of 18 new cherry and lilac trees along East Market Street near the Sussex County Courthouse. Total cost of the project was estimated at $37,000. The DFS’ Urban and Community Forestry Streetscape Program – which offers a 50-50 match to recipients – provided $17,000, which Georgetown officials matched with almost $20,000 in project expenses and in-kind services.

In the first phase of the project,  Georgetown’s Department of Public Works spent two weeks removing the old trees, many of which were either poorly adapted to the sites or suffered from disease or other environmental stress. During that time, workers also conducted extensive excavation of the existing soil in the tree pits,  which was eventually replaced with a special 50-50 mix of topsoil and organic matter to help ensure survivability.

The second phase – the actual tree planting – took place under sunny skies this week. Kyle Hoyd and Kesha Braunskill of the DFS’ Urban and Community Forestry Program supervised the work by Bridgeville’s Nanticoke Nursery and Landscaping, which was awarded the contract to provide the soil, supply the new trees, and complete the project according to Forest Service specifications. A total of 18 trees – nine Okame cherry trees and nine Japanese Ivory Silk Lilac trees – were planted in the newly-excavated sites. These two species, though not native to Delaware, were selected for planting by forestry officials for their high tolerance to environmental stresses common to urban areas and the fact that they are unlikely to outgrow the site constraints. The cherry and lilac trees will also provide beauty and visual appeal to the downtown area, providing an attractive climate for businesses and residents alike.

From left, Kyle Hoyd and Kesha Braunskill of the Delaware Forest Service's urban and community forestry program carefully remove the wire surrounding a new lilac tree planted as part of the downtown streetscape improvement project for Georgetown's East Market Street area.
From left, Kyle Hoyd and Kesha Braunskill of the Delaware Forest Service’s urban and community forestry program carefully remove the wire mesh surrounding a new lilac tree planted as part of the downtown streetscape improvement project for Georgetown’s East Market Street area.

From left, the Delaware Forest Service's Kyle Hoyd and Kesha Braunskill discuss the Georgetown East Market Street improvement project with Mike Milligan of Bridgeville's Nanticoke Nursery and Landscaping, which provided the new trees and completed the planting operation.
From left, the Delaware Forest Service’s Kyle Hoyd and Kesha Braunskill discuss the Georgetown East Market Street improvement project with Mike Milligan of Bridgeville’s Nanticoke Nursery and Landscaping, which provided the new trees and completed the planting operation.

From left, Kesha Braunskill and Kyle Hoyd of the Delaware Forest Service's urban and community forestry program, inspect a new lilac tree planted outside the Sussex County Courthouse on Georgetown's East Market Street. The $37,000 streetscape improvement project was a cooperative effort between town officials and forestry staff that will enhance and beautify the downtown area.
From left, Kesha Braunskill and Kyle Hoyd of the Delaware Forest Service’s urban and community forestry program inspect a new lilac tree that was planted outside the Sussex County Courthouse on Georgetown’s East Market Street. The $37,000 streetscape improvement project was a cooperative effort between town officials and the state’s forestry program that seeks to enhance and beautify the downtown area.

From left, Delaware Forest Service urban foresters Kesha Braunskill and Kyle Hoyd discuss the tree planting project with Mike Milligan of Bridgeville's Nanticoke Nursery and Landscaping, which performed the work and supplied the new trees.
From left, Delaware Forest Service urban foresters Kesha Braunskill and Kyle Hoyd discuss Georgetown’s East Market Street civic improvement project with Mike Milligan of Bridgeville’s Nanticoke Nursery and Landscaping, which performed the work and supplied the trees.

Across from Georgetown's Sussex County Courthouse building, Kyle Hoyd of the Delaware Forest Service prepares a new lilac tree for planting as part of a $37,000 streetscape improvement project made possible by an urban and community forestry grant.
Across from Georgetown’s Sussex County Courthouse, Kyle Hoyd of the Delaware Forest Service prepares a new lilac tree for planting as part of a $37,000 streetscape improvement project that was partially funded by an urban and community forestry grant.

The final phase – installation of new protective tree grates – is expected to take place by mid-November. The existing iron grates, which suffered past damage by motor vehicles or were modified to accomodate the previously over-sized trees – will be replaced at the time the new ones are installed.

For more information, contact: Kyle Hoyd, Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator, Delaware Forest Service, 302-698-4578. Email: kyle.hoyd@delaware.gov.

Delaware Forest Service offers “Trees for the Bay” in partnership with DNREC’s rain barrel program

DOVER (March 28, 2013) – In partnership with DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship’s rain barrels program, the Delaware Forest Service is inviting residents of Delaware communities within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to “buy a rain barrel … get a free tree” through the Forest Service’s new “Trees for the Bay” program. 

For each purchase of a discounted rain barrel on Wednesday, April 17 in Kent County and Thursday, April 18 in Sussex County, Delaware residents who live in eligible zip codes will receive a voucher worth $125 toward the purchase of a qualifying tree(s) at participating nursery and garden centers. Additional rain barrel purchases to qualifying residents will be eligible for additional vouchers, while supplies last on a first-come, first-served basis.

Available through DNREC’s Nonpoint Source Program, the heavy-duty plastic rain barrels are for sale to Delaware residents at a discounted price of $59 each. Tree vouchers will be available to Chesapeake Bay Watershed residents when purchasing rain barrels at these pickup locations: 

  • Kent County: Wednesday, April 17 between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or until all barrels are sold, at the DNREC State Fair Building, located off Route 13 in Harrington on the north end of the Delaware State Fairgrounds just past the Centre Ice Rink.
     
  • Sussex County: Thursday, April 18 between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or until all barrels are sold, at the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship’s Lewes Facility, next to the Lewes boat ramp, located at 901 Pilottown Road, Lewes. 

Vouchers are available only to those who reside in the following Delaware communities, which are located within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed:

COMMUNITY ZIP COMMUNITY ZIP
Bethel 19931 Georgetown 19947
Blades 19973 Greenwood 19950
Bridgeville 19933 Harrington 19952
Clayton 19938 Hartly 19953
Delmar 19940 Laurel 19956
Ellendale 19941 Marydel 19964
Farmington 19942 Seaford 19973

Vouchers must be redeemed by Sunday, May 5 at these participating nurseries and garden centers:

  • Bess Buds, 34593 Sussex Highway, Laurel, 302-875-2507
  • Jeff’s Greenhouse and Gift Shop, 7781 Main Street, Bethel, 800-276-3420
  • Barton’s Landscaping/Lawn Co., 20689 Sussex Highway, Seaford, 302-629-9645

Vouchers are not redeemable for the following tree species (which are not recommended and/or considered invasive species): ash, northern red oak, Leyland-cypress, hemlock, Japanese black pine, Australian pine, American elm, Norway maple, Tree of Heaven, Paulownia, mimosa, white mulberry, Chinese elm, any white-barked birch and any species or variety of pear.

The Delaware Forest Service and DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship both recognize the important role trees play in cleaning our air and water while enhancing the quality of life for Delaware residents. Trees reduce soil erosion and sedimentation, remove excess nutrients, and filter harmful pollutants before they make their way into the tributaries, streams and rivers within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The Delaware Forest Service’s Trees for the Bay program is underwritten by federal funds designed to help communities meet the water quality goals outlined in the Chesapeake Bay’s Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP). For more details, visit
http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/swc/wa/Pages/Chesapeake_Wip.aspx.

For more information about the Forest Service’s Trees for the Bay program, please visit http://delawaretrees.com/trees-for-the-bay, or contact Kyle Hoyd, Delaware Forest Service, at 302-698-4578 or email kyle.hoyd@delaware.gov.

 For more information about DNREC’s discounted rain barrel program, please call Sharon Webb, Division of Watershed Stewardship, Nonpoint Source Program, at 302-739-9922, or email sharon.webb@delaware.gov.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902, or John Petersen, Delaware Forest Service, 302-698-4552.

Vol. 43, No. 117

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